prentice



I UNITED. STATES PATENT "Enron.

FRANK WV. PRENTICE, OF NELSON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO CYRUS L. PRENTICE, OF SAME PLACE.

PROCESS OF AND COMPOSITION FOR CLEANING STONE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 620,178, dated February28, 1899. Application filed April 6. 1895. Serial No. 544,802. (Nospecimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK W. PRENTICE, of Nelson, in the county ofPortage and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Compositions of Matter for Cleaning Stones, &c.; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a new composition for and method of working,cleaning, dressing, polishing, and preserving the surface of stone,marble, and the like.

The object that I have in View is, without the use of acids, to work anddress the surface of new stone and to cleanse old stone from allaccumulations of dirt, weather-stains, and other objectionabledisfiguring obstructions on the surface and to impart a polished andindnrated finish to the surface, filling the interstices or pores in thestone surface, so as to obviate the subsequent lodgment of dirt andother objectionable disfigurements, as well as to prevent the formationof fungus growths.

I attain the objects of my invention by the employment of a detergentcomposition followed by a finishing dressing, which fills theinterstices and pores in the stone, the whole making a clean induratedsurface and a perfect protection and finish on thestone.

The detergent compound which I use for softening a thin layer or strataof the stone surface, as well as accumulations of dirt and otherdisfiguring matters and the removal thereof from the stone, does notcontain any acid; and it consists of the following ingredients in theproportions which may be reduced in strength with soft water, to wit:ether, six (6) parts; chloroform, eight (8) parts; cologne spirits, two(2) parts, and aquaammonia, sixteen (16) parts; or the detergentcompound herein described may be varied somewhat both in the ingredientsand in the proportions thereofas, for example, it may consist, first, ofether, fourteen parts,and aquaammonia, sixteen parts, or, secondly,chloroform, fourteen parts, and aqua-ammonia, sixteen parts. It is notessential that the cologne spirits be used; but I prefer to employ asthe detergent composition the ether, chloroform, and ammonia in theproportions specified. These ingredients are thoroughly mixed together,and they produce a new composition possessing detergent properties andwhich operates very efficiently to soften the surface of the stone, aswell as the accumulations of dirt and refuse thereon. In connection withthis detergent and solvent composition I prefer to employ a metallicbrush, which serves to thoroughly remove the accumulations from thesurface of the stone. This brush is particularly serviceable when it isdesired to clean ornamental and lettered surfaces of the stone, becausethe brush may be manipulated to reach the angles, corners, curves, andother close or intricate parts of the ornamented or lettered surface inorder to thoroughly cleanse the same and effectually remove all theimpurities and accumulations.

The described composition acts both as a solvent and as a detergent tosoften the surface and facilitate the removal of the impurities, andafter the stone surface has been treated by the application of thecomposition and by the abrasive or rubbing action of the metallic brushor other means I remove the detergent compound, dirt, and otherimpurities and thoroughly and cleanly wipe off the surface with a clothor other means.

The application of the solvent to the stone I and the rubbing thereof bythe brush, or, in the ordinary manner, by a grit or hone, as practicedin the art of dressing stone, leaves the surface thereof in a cleaned,glossy, and indurated condition. In my composition the ammonia acts asthe detergent in softening the stone surface and the accumulationsthereon, and the ether and chloroform in ad dition to their detergentproperties also act to impart the glossy or polished surface to thestone. The function of the cologne spirits is merely to make the use ofthe compound more agreeable to smell. Subsequent to the treatment of thestone and working off the mate rial removed therefrom by mechanicalabrasion the stone is finally dressed or finished by applying theretoanother composition, which leaves the stone in a finished conditionnearly, if not quite, equal to the original dressing of the stone. Thisfilling composition fills the interstices and depressions in the surfaceof the stone, which composition serves to catch and retain the dirt andrefuse that lodges on the stone, so as to permit the rain to wash ofithe dirt, and it overcomes the formation of fungus growths on thepolished and indurated surface of the stone when the latter is treatedin accordance with my invention.

I now proceed to impart the finish to the cleaned or worked and dressedsurface of the stone, which finishing step leaves the surface possessingthe advantageous feature of having the interstices or depressions in thestone filled and the surface hardened, which prevents lodgment andaccumulation of dirt and overcomes the formation of fungus growths onthe polished and indurated surface when treated in accordance with myinvention.

For the finishing dressing I use a composition of alcohol andprecipitated chalk in the proportions of one (1) pint of alcohol to two(2) ounces of precipitated chalk.

After the detergent composition has been applied and the stone surfacesoftened and cleaned as above mentioned the finishing dressing isapplied and the stone rubbed to polish the surface and fill theinterstices or cavities therein, said alcohol and precipitated chalkbeing allowed to dry out and harden in order to produce filled,finished, and indurated surface to the stone, leaving the stone cleanand hard and perfectly filled and finished.

I have found that my detergent and solvent composition serves to quicklyand thoroughly soften the surfaces and accumulations and refuse on thesurface and that it acts to the best advantage when combined in theproportions herein stated.

The best results in the treatment of the stone are attained by theemployment of strong concentrated aqua-ammonia, preferably of thecharacter known to the art as twenty-siX-per-cent. ammonia. One of theimportant advantages secured by this strong ammonia resides in treatingmarble or granite which has previously been subjected to the acidprocess for finishing and dressing the same, and practical experiencehas shown that the strong ammonia which I employ destroys the effects ofthe acid or neutralizes the action of the acid on the stone. The

composition which I employ not only softens the surface of the stone andthe refuse thereon, but it neutralizes the action of any acid previouslyapplied to the stone, and it also tends to ind urate and preserve thestone from rapid accumulation of refuse, suchj as the carbon in smoke.

In my practical experiments with the compositions, using them in theorder herein recited, it has been demonstrated that the surface ofgranite, as well as other stones, can be softened, worked, cleaned,polished, and indurated very quickly and economically.

In my invention the compositions are prepared so as to be wholly freefrom acids of any kind. The use of acids is practiced largely in the artof dressing stone in order to give to the stone a polished or glossysurface; but the use of acids is highly objectionable, because they eatinto the stone, cause it to disintegrate, and expose it to the weather.I overcome these objections and provide a means and method by which thesurface of stones may be worked, cleaned, polished, and indurated inless time at less expense, impart a finish which will stand the effectsof the weather for a long time, and wholly avoid the formation of fungusgrowths.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is-- 1. A detergentand solventcomposition for use in working or cleaning, dressing and polishing thesurface of stones, which consists of: ether, six parts; chloroform,eight parts; and aqua-ammonia, sixteen parts, substantially asdescribed.

2. A finishing and hardening composition for imparting a glossy andindurated surface to stones, which consists of alcohol and precipitatedchalk, in the proportions specified, substantially as described.

3. The method described of cleaning, glossing and induratin g thesurfaces of stone which consists, first, in softening the surface of thestone and accumulations of refuse thereon by applying to the stone anon-acidulated solvent consisting of ammonia, ether and chloroform; thenwiping off the solvent and refuse due to the rubbing or abrasion of thestone; and finally applying a filler that closes the interstices ordepressions in the surface of the stone, substantially as described.

4:. A detergent composition for cleaning the surfaces of stone whichconsists of ether, chloroform, ammonia, and cologne spirits, insubstantially the proportions specified. I

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

FRANK W. PRENTICE.

IOC

